Children's health passes, cigarette taxes to go up

Image by Flickr user taurusaficionado Image by 20090205-cigarette-tax.jpg Tax stamps are probably unlikely, but the visual gets the new 62-cent tax across.

Where our state proved to be incapable, the federal government has stepped in and passed a bill that aims to bring coverage to 4 million low-income children across the nation through a higher federal cigarette tax -- an estimated 62 cents on each pack, for a total federal tax of $1.01.

That number will increase (or, theoretically decrease) as the cost of the program changes, which is estimated at $32 billion over 4.5 years.

Head over to The New York Times for a rundown on the bill.